The classic image of a gaming laptop being a chunky, Lamborgini-inspired wedge with RGB lighting is practically extinct. These days they’re sleeker, more portable, and classier looking than ever. They’re also more powerful than ever thanks to the latest CPUs and graphics cards being able to power an actually playable 4K gaming experience on a portable rig – something previously only achievable with a desktop gaming PC.
Beyond that QHD and 4K screens with high-refresh rates have become the norm, so you’ll be able to play games at high fidelity and a silky frame rate at the same time. After comprehensive testing and research, we've narrowed down our picks so you can be sure the gaming laptops you're looking at are the best of the best – and click here to find them in the UK.
TL;DR – These are the Best Gaming Laptops
1. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Best Gaming Laptop
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is the absolute best gaming laptop you can get for performance, battery life, and general overall value. For $1,899, this machine can play Call of Duty: Warzone at max settings and its full 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. Beyond that, we experienced silky smooth 60-140Hz gameplay in a variety of games running at 1080p with Ultra settings.
What’s even more amazing is the Zephyrus G14 pulls all of this off with a less traditional pairing of a Ryzen CPU with Radeon graphics. But this all AMD combo is also what helps make this laptop run almost all day with nearly 10 hours of battery life. It’s a fantastic setup all-around with an ample 512GB of storage and a 16:10 display that makes everyday tasks more manageable.
2. MSI Sword
Best Gaming Laptop Under $1,000
In a world with most gaming laptops costing over $2,000, you might think it’s impossible to find a truly affordable gaming laptop. Thankfully the $949 MSI Sword is here to prove us wrong. Despite costing under a grand you still get a pretty spiffy setup complete with an Intel Core i5 processor and Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics. It even comes with a 512GB SSD for a decent amount of storage, though you’ll want to add a second stick of memory.
This is a great platform to get your toe into PC gaming, especially with competitive online titles like Apex Legends and Overwatch. The Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti, is also more than capable of handling indie games and smaller single-player experiences.
3. Alienware x15 R2
Best 15 inch Gaming Laptop
The Alienware x15 is the pinnacle of what an ultrathin and ultra-powerful gaming laptop should be. At just 0.63-inches thick, this svelte machine packs in a ton of power with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics. That’s more than enough performance to get most games running over 60fps at a 1440p, and most competitive games like Warzone and Apex Legends will run at 240Hz and full resolution.
The ultraslim machine is able to do all of this thanks to Alienware overengineering the thermals with vapor cooling chambers, a custom Element 31 thermal paste, and four cooling fans. All of this focus on cooling also allows you to overclock the 8-core processor and push the GPU to operate at 110W.
4. MSI GE76 Raider
Best 17 Inch Gaming Laptop
Having a thin-and-light laptop is nice, but if you want a true desktop replacement the MSI GE76 Raider is the way to go. This 17-inch gaming laptop is large and in charge with an Intel Core i7 processor and the best graphics you can get in a portable rig, the Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti. And to top it all off this rig comes with an impressive 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage, so you won’t need to add any RAM or SSD expansions out of the box.
This system comes loaded to bear for the highest-end gaming so you’ll be able to take full advantage of its 2560 x 1440 screen and play most games at its maximum 240Hz refresh rate. Of course, all that power also comes in handy for streaming, video editing, and plenty of other creative pursuits beyond gaming.
5. Asus ROG Flow Z13
Best Gaming Tablet
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 isn’t exactly the most powerful gaming rig around, but it’s uniquely a Windows tablet that truly can game. This extremely portable slate pairs an Intel Core i9 CPU with Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics to let you play AAA and indie games almost anywhere. All you have to do is kick out the kickstand on this 13-inch device, pair a controller, and you’re free to game while lounging on the couch, laying in bed, or wherever else you choose.
And if you’re looking for a bit more power, you can also opt to buy the Asus’ eGPU module, the XG Mobile that packs up to an Nvidia RTX 3080 for a serious graphical bump at your gaming desk. Between, the Asus ROG Flow Z13’s function as a true gaming tablet and support for external graphics, this is one of the most versatile gaming laptops around.
6. Razer Blade 14
Best Gaming Ultrabook
If you’re looking for something portable, but in a more traditional clamshell form factor look no further than the Razer Blade 14. It packs in a surprisingly powerful AMD Ryzen 9 processor and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics despite weighing under four pounds and being a little over half an inch thick.
What really put’s it over the top is Razer’s immaculate build quality elevating the premium build of this gaming laptop to Ultrabook status. Of course, the 14-inch QHD display also delivers plenty of eye candy and you get tear-free gameplay at 165Hz thanks to its baked-in G-Sync support. This is the perfect system if you’re looking for something small, light, and powerful.
Where to Get the Best Gaming Laptops in the UK
We've managed to find the vast majority of very best gaming laptops available in the UK, with all our favourites including the MSI ME66 Raider ready and available to buy from retailers such as Amazon, while other brands can be found elsewhere such as Dell, Currys PC World, or Scan.
What to look for in a Gaming Laptop
The best gaming laptops have come a long way in relatively little time. Power, portability, and price have all seen dramatic improvements in just the last 5 years, and somehow gaming laptops are getting thinner and adding even more features.
The first thing you’ll want to ask yourself is where will you be taking this gaming laptop. If you imagine yourself taking it out every day you’ll want something portable, so you may prefer getting a 15-incher or something smaller. Users who just want a laptop to live at home as more of a desktop replacement should go for a 17-inch rig for the larger screen size and greater power.
The newest gaming laptops come equipped with Nvidia’s latest RTX graphics chips. These mobile chips are nearly as capable as their desktop version, plus they support the latest ray tracing and DLSS technologies.
Choosing the latest processor isn't quite as necessary, but it's nice to have. When shopping for a gaming laptop be sure the Intel processor has a model number of Intel Core ix-12xxxH (i.e. Intel Core i7-12700H or Intel Core i9-12900H), this denotes that it's one of Team Blue's latest Alder Lake H-series processors. If the gaming laptop you're eying has an AMD processor, ensure its model number has a three at the start of it—such as AMD Ryzen 7 6900HS—as it lets you know its one of AMD's latest 6000-series processors.
The portability is a huge advantage, as is a ready-to-go display, often equipped with variable refresh rate technology or better-than-HD resolutions. The disadvantage is most gaming laptops are only as portable as the nearest electrical outlet. All that power comes at a price, after all, and while there are a few exceptions, the general rule of gaming laptops is battery life stinks.
Another big disadvantage a gaming laptop has compared to a gaming desktop is its price. It costs quite a lot more to stuff all those components (i.e. the built-in trackpad, keyboard, speakers, and display) into an easy-to-carry shell. When considering a gaming laptop over a gaming desktop, ask yourself, is the premium in price worth it over, and would it be cheaper to buy these all separately?
From our experience, it's always better to stick with the least amount of memory and storage on checkout, and then upgrade it yourself with higher capacity components that are much cheaper to buy on their own. A 1TB SSD might sound tempting as it'll help get your system boot instantly and store all your games, but a high-end upgrade like that can often cost half or a quarter as much as the whole machine.
However, upgrading leads directly to another consideration, how easy it to swap out components. Whereas it's usually a snap to add or replace a component in your desktop rig, upgrading anything in your gaming laptop, other than RAM, will often mean having to buy a whole new computer.
For more helpful guides, be sure to check out our guide to the best gaming chairs, gaming desks, and the best gaming headsets.
Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
